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Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Snow drifts and avalanches

One of the things I miss most about New England is snow.  I have always loved how it transforms the landscape — everything is smoothed, covered in white, sparkling, with beautiful blue shadows.  The closest thing I've seen to this phenomenon on Bodega Head is the bright white foam patterns in the surf zone during very large swell.  This morning the waves were about 17 feet high, creating ideal conditions for "snow in the surf zone".  


The intense wave crashes associated with such large swell also remind me of snow avalanches.  Sometimes it's frightening just to look at these photos and to imagine the forces behind these waves!  It's amazing to consider how intertidal invertebrates and seaweeds withstand this powerful energy.


1 comment:

Philip said...

Marvelous photos. You captured the power in the waves for sure.